ULBRIGHT SERIES | APPALACHIAN ROOTS: GLOBAL HORIZONS
From Boone to India, Jeff Cohen explores new possibilities for global education
App State's senior international officer joins higher education leaders in India through the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Award.
The distance between Boone and India is measured in thousands of miles. For Jeff Cohen, the more important distance is between institutions that have much to learn from one another.
Cohen, Appalachian State University's assistant vice provost for International Programs and senior international officer, was selected for a Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Award in India. The program brings U.S. higher education leaders together with counterparts abroad to learn about another country's higher education system, exchange ideas and build professional networks.
Unlike many Fulbright awards centered on an individual research or teaching project, the International Education Administrators program takes an institutional view. Participants visit universities and other educational organizations and learn about the systems in which they operate. For Cohen, whose work at App State centers on the university's global engagement strategy, that distinction matters.
“This is really an award and program that is framed around the institution as a whole,” Cohen said.
Cohen is participating in the two-week seminar Oct. 3-17, traveling with a cohort of senior U.S. university administrators to colleges and universities in Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad. The group is meeting with university leaders, faculty, policymakers and higher education experts to learn about India's higher education system and explore approaches to academic exchange, research collaboration and institutional partnerships.
He enters the experience with years of work developing international partnerships, but without having previously traveled to India. That gives him an opportunity to test what he knows against what he can learn by being there.
India is home to one of the world's largest higher education systems and is a major source of international students in the United States. App State has also maintained relationships with institutions in India at different points in its history. Cohen sees room to better understand that landscape, including how Indian universities operate, what they seek from international partners and where genuine areas of mutual interest may exist.
The experience is not intended as a recruiting trip or a sales pitch for App State. Cohen described the Fulbright program more broadly as a form of “soft diplomacy,” creating space for educators to understand one another and their institutions before deciding what collaboration might make sense.
What comes back to Boone could take many forms. Cohen said the knowledge and relationships developed through the program could help App State evaluate opportunities for student exchange, faculty collaboration, research partnerships, dual-degree programs and other forms of institutional engagement. It will also give the university better information when faculty, students or academic units are considering their own connections with India.
That reciprocity, taking knowledge and experience from Appalachia into an international setting and bringing new perspectives and relationships home, reflects the broader purpose of App State's global engagement work.
Cohen directs the university's internationalization efforts and global engagement strategy and also serves as a professor of criminal justice in the Department of Government and Justice Studies. A first-generation college student and graduate of public higher education, he has made access and student success foundational to his work in international education. He has also designed and led education abroad programs focused on comparative criminal justice, restorative justice and related topics.
His own Fulbright experience adds another perspective to a program he already helps others navigate. At App State, Cohen is one of the university's Fulbright faculty liaisons, supporting faculty members interested in the U.S. Scholar Program and other Fulbright opportunities. Being selected himself, he said, gives him firsthand experience with the application and award process and another way to support future applicants.
For Cohen, the significance of Fulbright extends beyond his own selection.
“For me, the award is making visible the amazing work that is already being done by our students and faculty,” he said.
His experience in India adds another chapter to that work, creating new opportunities to learn from international colleagues and bring those perspectives back to App State.
That larger record is already receiving national recognition. App State was named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for both U.S. Scholars and U.S. Students for the 2025-26 academic year. The university was the only master's institution nationwide recognized in both categories that year.
The recognition reflects a broader campus commitment. The Office of International Programs and App State's Fulbright faculty liaisons support faculty interested in pursuing Fulbright opportunities, while the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships works with students and alumni applying to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. OIP is also expanding workshops, application guidance and opportunities for prospective applicants to develop proposals alongside colleagues.
Cohen’s program in India is one piece of that larger story. Through this program, he hopes to deepen international connections and bring back ideas and relationships that strengthen the university and the region. For Cohen, the value of these connections lies in what they make possible for App State students, faculty and the communities they serve.
Jeff Cohen
